Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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A mosaic depicting a Roman chariot driver with flowing hair and ripped muscles was unveiled Tuesday as the background for the new state license plate, to be issued in 2023. First Lady Susanne Shore, who led development of the new plate, joined her husband, Gov. Pete Ricketts, and others in saying the mosaic, which is the first one visitors see on tours of the State Capitol, will show Nebraska as more than cattle, windmills and sunsets — the traditional icons used on state plates. “It’s a great...
The Legislature gave final approval to the budget bills. During the 90-day legislative session, the biennial budget is crafted. During the 60-day session, adjustments are made. This was a much more demanding task this year due to the increased revenue projections and the influx of federal money due to the pandemic. The budget was filibustered at every stage of debate, not because of what was in it, but due to possible amendments that could have been added. The budget sets aside $175 million for...
In 2011, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services wrote a bill that would allow well-behaved prisoners the chance to shorten their time behind bars. Eleven years later, that same department is applying the resulting law in a way neither the state senator who sponsored the bill nor the then-director of Nebraska’s prisons intended. Prison officials now shorten a prisoner’s final release date, but never change the day that prisoner becomes eligible for parole. The result: Thousands of prisoners sentenced under the law have potentially sta...
Governor Pete Ricketts, in accordance with a proclamation from the White House, announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags are to be flown at half-staff to honor former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Albright served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997 and as Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001. She passed away earlier today according to a statement issued by her family. Flags will be lowered to half-staff immediately and return to full staff at sunset on...
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, in accordance with a proclamation from the White House, announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags are to be flown at half-staff to honor Senator Bob Dole, who died over the weekend. Flags will be flown at half-staff immediately, until sunset on Dec. 9. The proclamation can be found online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/05/a-proclamation-on-the-death-of-robert-joseph-dole/. Earlier today, Gov. Ricketts released the...
Ramey Vachal, Hanna Christensen, Chin Tung Tan Nebraska News Service State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks announces run for Congress State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of District 28 announced her bid for Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District. Brooks cannot run for her state senate seat in 2022 due to term limits. The incumbent of the first district is Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Fortenberry is under indictment for allegedly lying to the FBI and has not said if he will run again in 2022. Three snow leopards die at Lincoln Children’s Zoo due to COV...
Changes to a direct health measure suspending certain elective surgeries was announced Oct. 21, by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. Class D and Class E elective surgeries, for all acute care, critical care and children’s hospitals, in Nebraska were resumed, as of Oct. 22. Ricketts also announced changes to the state’s COVID-19 reporting dashboard. As of Oct. 22, county-level counts of COVID-19 cases and demographics have been removed. The dashboard, available at dhhs.ne.gov, will be updated weekly, on Wednesdays, since COVID-19 hos...
Senators approved an increase in state spending on initiatives such as broadband, foster care reimbursement rates, pay for people who provide services under Medicaid and rail industrial parks during Nebraska’s 107th legislative session, which adjourned on May 27. Senators also focused on cutting taxes and designated a portion of the state’s FY 2021- 2022 $4.8 billion budget toward tax relief, according to the 2021 general fund budget summary. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango said this session was different because there was more money to work wit...
Governor’s Misinformation Campaign on ‘30 x 30 Plan’ To the editor: Not long ago the secretary of agriculture announced a bold initiative that would cut the environmental footprint of US agriculture in half by the year 2050. The date was Feb. 20, 2020. The cabinet official was the Trump administration’s Sonny Perdue. Governor Pete Ricketts had little, if anything, to say about the ambitious “New Innovation Initiative for USDA” at the time, even though its objectives included radical goals for “conserving sensitive and marginal lands to enha...
From the Wyoming/Nebraska border to the opposite side of the state, 432 miles along U.S. Highway 20, link the state’s Pine Ridge region, sandhills and Elkhorn River, before reaching Siouxland Freedom Park in South Sioux City. It’s a 432-mile walk Ken Hanel, of West Point, and Daryl Harrison, of Thurston, know well. The pair completed the walk Saturday, after starting May 11. The 432-mile route wasn’t selected by happenstance. In February 2020, Governor Pete Ricketts named Highway 20 as the N...
SUBMITTED ARTICLE The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military award for bravery. It is awarded by the president, in the name of Congress. For this reason, it is often referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since it was first presented in 1863, the medal has been awarded 3,512 times to 3,492 recipients. In February 2020, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts decreed that U.S. Highway 20 shall be known as the Nebraska Medal of Honor Highway, to honor Nebraska's greatest military...
Nebraska will retain three congressional seats, based on official 2020 U.S. Census data released Monday for purposes of congressional apportionment. The state’s population grew by 7.4%, with 1,961,504 people residing in the Cornhusker State. That number is up from 1,826,341 from the 2010 census. Landing as the 37th largest state, Nebraska’s growth rate was on track with national trends. The U.S. Census Bureau announced the 2020 Census shows resident population of the United States on April 1,...
Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a two-year state budget promoting tax relief and controlling state spending, into law, Monday. Budget growth was limited to 1.7% and set at $9.7 billion for the two-year period ending June 30, 2023. The newly-signed budget leaves $206 million available, although that total could change after April 29, when revenue forecasts will be updated. Ricketts said, "The budget I have signed controls state spending and significantly increases direct property tax relief for the peo...
GRACE GORENFLO Nebraska News Service Nearly 100 tax-related bills have been introduced this legislative session, with topics ranging from selling alcohol at farmers markets to excluding retired military from state income tax. Chair of the Revenue Committee Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn said the committee has a package of sales tax bills and a package of income tax bills it is working to pass this session. The committee’s two priority bills, LB432 and LB595, will each have several other tax bills amended into them after hearings have c...
BROOKE WRAGE Nebraska News Service As of March 31, Gov. Pete Ricketts approved 16 bills to become state laws. The bills include topics varying from transportation and health care to government and military affairs. An overview of the new state laws follows. View the full list of bills that received approval on the Nebraska Legislature at https://nebraskalegislature.gov/calendar/agenda.php?day=2021-03-25. LB 14: Adopt the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue introduced LB 14, which will allow...
BROOKE WRAGE, CELENA SHEPHERD and MADELEINE GRANT Nebraska News Service The first week of floor debates kicked off the second week in March. Senators debated and advanced a handful of bills in the Nebraska Legislature. A recap of the week. LB255: Provide compensation to families of deceased first responders Sen. Matt Hansen, of Lincoln, introduced LB255, which would establish the In the Line of Duty Compensation Act to provide a one-time death benefit for a family member of a first responder who dies while on the line of duty. “I believe it i...
Natalie Stanley Nebraska News Service LINCOLN-- The Judiciary Committee heard another bill regarding marijuana legislation this week with LB474, the Adopt the Medicinal Cannabis Act. So far, there are 14 bills regarding marijuana that have been proposed this year. Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln introduced LB474 to the Committee on Wednesday. Wishart has been working on marijuana legislation for the past five years. Most recently, she and Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln led an effort to gather nearly 190,000 signatures in 2020 to add medicinal...
Madeleine Grant and Brooke Wrage Nebraska News Service LINCOLN--Nebraska lawmakers continue to push for marijuana legislation this session. On Feb. 19, the Nebraska Legislature Judiciary Committee heard six bills relating to the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. Substance possession penalties State senators are considering a bill to change the penalty for controlled substance possession. LB 287, was introduced by Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha to lessen penalties for possession of unusable amounts of controlled substances under the...
Nebraska is in the green, at least when it comes to directed health measures. Governor Pete Ricketts announced Jan. 29 the state would transition from the blue to green phase, effective Jan. 30. The state's pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients. As of Jan. 29, hospital capacity in the state is below 10%, allowing the move to the green phase of the pandemic plan. During Friday morning's press...
An online portal where Nebraskans may register for the coronavirus vaccination debuted recently. During a Monday press conference, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the website launch for vaccinate.nebraska.gov. Ricketts emphasized the state will not administer vaccines on a first come, first serve basis. Instead, the state will follow a vaccination plan introduced Jan. 15. Despite brisk winter weather, vaccinations have been rolling out quickly, with more than 161,000 vaccinations being administered...
After nearly 13 years of debate, impact studies, hearings and executive orders, a proposed pipeline route criss-crossing Holt and Antelope counties will not be constructed. In one of his first actions as president, Joe Biden revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permit, Jan. 20. The pipeline would have stretched from Alberta, Canada, across the U.S. border and through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, pushing approximately 800,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day. Per...
Governor Pete Ricketts' office issued a statement, Monday, following news that the governor had come into close contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. "Gov. Ricketts came into close contact with someone, on Saturday, who tested positive today for coronavirus," said Taylor Gage, director of strategic communications. "The exposure that occurred was work-related. The Ggvernor will complete the required seven-day quarantine. The governor is not showing any symptoms, and will get...
Governor Pete Ricketts delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature this past week. He highlighted 2021-23 state budget recommendations for senators. This will be his last biennial budget proposal, as his eight years in office will be completed at the end of next year. Ricketts recounted the devastating flood in 2019 and coronavirus pandemic that followed in 2020. He commended Nebraskans for responding in the Nebraska Way - by working together to overcome challenges. The...
On Monday, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, in accordance with a proclamation from President Donald J. Trump, announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags are to be flown at half-staff to honor the service and sacrifice of United States Capitol Police Officers Brian D. Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, and all Capitol Police Officers and law enforcement across the country. Flags will be flown at half-staff until sunset on Jan. 13....
Nebraska’s latest directed health measures mirror Centers for Disease Control recommendations, shortening quarantine times for individuals who have been exposed to the coronavirus. Gov. Pete Ricketts made the announcement during a Friday press conference. Mandates went into effect at 5 p.m., Dec. 3 and will continue through Dec. 31. “Even with the good news we’ve had with regard to vaccines that are on their way, we do need people to continue to practice all the good methods we’ve learned...
